This summer, Chris Behrens and Missi Smith take The Merc stage in a blistering comedy about power and desire. Venus in Fur begins by digging into the minefield between director and actress, man and woman. Playwright and director Thomas, (Behrens) is auditioning actresses for the role he has created for his perfect woman. Nobody fits the part – but one actress shows up hours late for her audition time. The streetwise Vanda (Smith) attempts to charm and badger her way into a chance at a job. Thomas is up against a force he thinks he already knows everything about, and he is ready to reject her so he can get home to a hot meal cooked by his fiancée. What unfolds next is completely unexpected, for Thomas and for the audience: freeform, sexy, dangerous, and very funny. Who calls the shots and what are those shots made of? Another brilliant play by David Ives, Merc audiences will remember his work onstage two seasons ago in Arabian Nights and All in the Timing.

Come see this battle between the sexes that is full of serious fun. It’s a very adult comedy with all the elements of desire and what it takes to get what we want (or what we think we want).

“The teeter-tottering test of wills that takes place in VENUS IN FUR makes even the most fraught encounter between a domineering director and a sensitive performer seem like a play date in the sandbox…ninety minutes of good, kinky fun.” – The New York Times